Great Silver Manufactory: Matthew Boulton and the Birmingham Silversmiths, 1760-90

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Jones studied at Birmingham School of Art; from 1901 he was working with the Birmingham Guild of Handicraft, and in 1902 he established his own company. It is not only Jones’ designs that place him in the Arts and Crafts tradition, but also the approach he took to his work. In its own way, the toy trade in Birmingham was responsible for the early career of Matthew Boulton, and therefore, for the establishment of the Assay Office. Boulton inherited his father’s toymaking business in Snow Hill, but he was determined to expand his range. A highly ambitious man, by the early 1760s he had started work on the Soho Manufactory, located just outside Birmingham, at Handsworth. Imported items: box, cigar cutter, cigarette case, lorgnette, purse, wallet mount; nail buffer, salt

John Cyril Taylor & William Charles Taylor trading as John Taylor & Co, silversmiths & medal makers, Ely Place, Charterhouse Street, London EC1 Box, card case, chatelaine clip, cigarette case, coaster, cruet, dressing table set, money box, mustard, napkin ring, pincushion, salt, scent bottle, sovereign case, sucrier, table lighter, tea caddy, vase, vesta, watch case A note with a decanter label marked with the laser-marked version states that it was "manufactured and designed exclusively for Concorde by Special EFX of Stratford-upon-Avon, England" All of our gifts are handmade and hand polished in Sterling Silver and are hallmarked with a set of British Hallmarks at our local Assay Office. All of the gifts offered online are manufactured in our own factory; however, on occasion we source items from other manufacturers that we believe will complement our own ranges. Our rigorous belief in the traditional skills of silversmithing ensures that each gift leaves our workshop with the same great attention to detail.Basket, beaker, bowl, box, brush, butter knife, cigarette case, decanter label, dish, mug, napkin ring, note case, spectacles case, tea caddy, vesta Ashtray, box, card case, caster, cigarette case, compact, corkscrew, dish, frame, ink stand & ink well, match box holder, match striker, menu holder, napkin ring, sauce boat, table lighter, tea & coffee service, tea strainer, vase, vesta From the mid 19th Century, it was design that preoccupied the minds of the Victorian silversmiths. The developments in manufacturing processes brought about by the Industrial Revolution had opened up the possibilities in design, and this culminated in the Great Exhibition of 1851. It is significant that by 1877 the increase in the quantity of silver assayed in Birmingham per annum had necessitated the move to larger premises in Newhall Street. Indeed, this is the period that is dominated by the great silversmiths such as Elkingtons. Presented by the British Jewellers’ Association to commemorate the bicentenary of The Birmingham Assay Office 1773-1973’.

The need for the hallmark is as strong now as it was in the 18th century since the hallmark protects the public and the jewellery and silversmithing trades. Precious metals are most commonly used as alloys; mixed with base metals, and even an expert cannot tell by looking whether an article contains the declared proportion of precious metal. One of a set of teaspoons with all 6 British Assay Office marks - manufactured by Roberts & Belk, Sheffield

During the mid 18th Century the Birmingham metal trades flourished, producing large volumes of small personal items known as “toys”. Sketchley’s Directory of 1767 described the output of the Birmingham toymakers as follows; John Hugh Thomas Green trading as Sharpe & Green, manufacturing jewellers, Newhall Street & Vittoria Street, Birmingham The company itself is a long established family owned business based in Birmingham, England - among some of the country's most talented silversmiths and jewellers. Our experience in the manufacture and retail of silver stretches over 40 years Established by an Act of Parliament, Assay Office Birmingham has beenresponsible for testing and hallmarking precious metals since 1773.

The Silver Collection at Assay Office Birmingham is an historic collection of spectacular objects created by some of Birmingham’s most celebrated Silversmiths including Matthew Boulton, Nathaniel Mills and Elkington & Co. The Silver Collection at Assay Office Birmingham A similar mark with serif letters and no stop registered Nov1882 by James Widmer, watch importer, Holborn Viaduct, London EC And so the list continued, until Sketchley concluded ‘for cheapness, Beauty and Elegance no Place in the world can vie with them.’Although we practice traditional silversmithing skills, we use them to produce modern, contemporary sterling silver giftware. Our craftsmen with years of experience and skills handcraft all of our English sterling silver gifts. Dressing table set, fob medal, frame, mug, mustard, napkin ring, salt spoon, salver, sovereign case William Alexander & George Duncan Lawson trading as Alexander & Lawson, silversmiths, Gordon Street, Glasgow